You are 1) too kind, thank you, and 2) so freaking right about all of this. Yeah, not everyone gets to be a full time newsletter writer, just as I didn't get to be a rock star in my 20s - that's just the way it goes!
I disagree, there IS a quick way to go from 0-10,000 and monetize the audience; unfortunately for most of us, that "shortcut" is... starting out already being a successful published author or a celebrity with a six-figure follower count on Twitter 😏
Robin - great article. Found it through a restack on Notes. The predatory marketers make me upset because the focus is so much on numbers and $$$. I ran screaming from social media because of those negative influences.
Certainly there is an aspect of marketing if you want your audience to grow but there are healthy ways to go about this. I am not familiar with Seth (but will check out his writing) but I have relied on Sarah Fay quite a bit and found her to be upfront, honest, and focused on the right things.
Most importantly, I think, I have attempted to be entirely genuine in my writing and engage frequently with my readers. I am honestly shocked every single day when I see how many subscribers I have. Thanks for saying the hard things out loud.
Thanks Matthew! I quit social media for the same reasons as you, and I agree that being kind and genuine is the way to go. Here's to saying more hard things out loud!
As another marketing person dipping my toe into Substack and finding all the snake oil promises… all this sounds totally on target. There’s never any one size fits all marketing solution. Ever.
The best chance is to do your best work for its own sake and be a decent - and sociable - participant in the world you’re trying to engage with. Stuff is most likely to happen then. And if it doesn’t, you’ve created something good and been a decent person so you’re still ahead.
Fantastic! Thanks for calling this behaviour out, Robin! I see this all the time and feel like I’m going crazy sometimes—then after a while you realise people online can say and claim whatever they want without recourse. I guess there’s a fine line between exaggeration and fraud sometimes. And to your point about the limited time offers, they are so fake! I swear I’ve gotten 100 from one company alone. When you walk down the street every week and they still seemingly have the same SALE signs plastered in the windows you just have to laugh.
Very good. As was taught to me, the ONLY way to gain more subscribers (followers, etc.) is to place yourself in front of more and more of "your" people who don't know you yet, so that they can know that you exist.
I was so happy to see this post on my feed today. I feel this on so many deep levels and I’m glad you’re naming it! I’ve been in spaces where I’ve seen these marketing messages for a while and after becoming a therapist, they’re even more gross.
Here’s to marketing the authentic way and not profiting off people’s fear and insecurity 🥂
Thanks Blake! I believe authenticity really is the only sustainable choice in the long-run, if not for business reasons then definitely for soul reasons.
This is a great article and it’s frustrating as it feels like it’s this big club of writers who have already established audiences where everyone is patting themselves on the back about landing so many subscribers and I’m happy for them, but no one can (or want to) tell me how they landed all of those subscribers. It’s not Coca Cola’s recipe I’m asking for (though that would be cool!)
Many of Substack's biggest authors had large followings before they joined Substack. There was even a bit of a controversy a few years ago where Substack actually paid well-known writers to join the platform. What looks like overnight success on Substack is often the result of years of putting yourself out there both on and off the platform (and as always, luck, money, privilege and connections all help, and some folks just have a lot more access to those things).
Yup, I believe it! Thankfully i'm not getting discouraged because I know what i'm walking into, and trying to stay positive, and know this won't happen overnight but you can't help but always feel like you're doing something wrong or not enough. Good to see someone pointing this out!
I don't have the connections and I'm terrible at "putting myself out there", so I'm solely relying on the sheer quality of my content to attract people. Unfortunately quality is not most people's biggest concern - they care more about popularity - but it is for some of us!
I will also add, folks selling courses but disabling comments on their posts selling courses are a bit suspicious.
Just a bit. 🤔
You are 1) too kind, thank you, and 2) so freaking right about all of this. Yeah, not everyone gets to be a full time newsletter writer, just as I didn't get to be a rock star in my 20s - that's just the way it goes!
Thanks for being one of the good ones, Seth!
I disagree, there IS a quick way to go from 0-10,000 and monetize the audience; unfortunately for most of us, that "shortcut" is... starting out already being a successful published author or a celebrity with a six-figure follower count on Twitter 😏
Ha! Silly me, I totally forgot you just have to already have a massive audience you can bring over. That's the secret!
Beware people who make money by teaching you how to make money. This goes for literally every industry or profession. It's a pyramid scheme.
Yes, perfect summary!
100 percent.
Will you please do a post on how to market your Substack without seeming sales-y? I think it would go viral.
Robin - great article. Found it through a restack on Notes. The predatory marketers make me upset because the focus is so much on numbers and $$$. I ran screaming from social media because of those negative influences.
Certainly there is an aspect of marketing if you want your audience to grow but there are healthy ways to go about this. I am not familiar with Seth (but will check out his writing) but I have relied on Sarah Fay quite a bit and found her to be upfront, honest, and focused on the right things.
Most importantly, I think, I have attempted to be entirely genuine in my writing and engage frequently with my readers. I am honestly shocked every single day when I see how many subscribers I have. Thanks for saying the hard things out loud.
Thanks Matthew! I quit social media for the same reasons as you, and I agree that being kind and genuine is the way to go. Here's to saying more hard things out loud!
And then there's the old Get Rich Quick: Get (outrageous result) by (doing something simple) in (ridiculously short time).
Really appreciate your laying this out. When a newsletter reads like a marketing ad, you know the writer is clueless.
Openhanded help works best, IMHO.
That sums it up perfectly. The medium changes, but the underlying scam never does.
As another marketing person dipping my toe into Substack and finding all the snake oil promises… all this sounds totally on target. There’s never any one size fits all marketing solution. Ever.
The best chance is to do your best work for its own sake and be a decent - and sociable - participant in the world you’re trying to engage with. Stuff is most likely to happen then. And if it doesn’t, you’ve created something good and been a decent person so you’re still ahead.
Preach!
Oh and calculate less.
Fantastic! Thanks for calling this behaviour out, Robin! I see this all the time and feel like I’m going crazy sometimes—then after a while you realise people online can say and claim whatever they want without recourse. I guess there’s a fine line between exaggeration and fraud sometimes. And to your point about the limited time offers, they are so fake! I swear I’ve gotten 100 from one company alone. When you walk down the street every week and they still seemingly have the same SALE signs plastered in the windows you just have to laugh.
This post made me smile. Oh and breathe a sigh of relief. I just met with the lovely and kind Sarah Fay yesterday. she’s the real deal!
Agreed and the ones who can now msg you, kinda creepy.
Ew, I know right? I'm just waiting for all the sales reps on LinkedIn to figure it out and start spamming me here instead.
Very good. As was taught to me, the ONLY way to gain more subscribers (followers, etc.) is to place yourself in front of more and more of "your" people who don't know you yet, so that they can know that you exist.
I was so happy to see this post on my feed today. I feel this on so many deep levels and I’m glad you’re naming it! I’ve been in spaces where I’ve seen these marketing messages for a while and after becoming a therapist, they’re even more gross.
Here’s to marketing the authentic way and not profiting off people’s fear and insecurity 🥂
Thanks Blake! I believe authenticity really is the only sustainable choice in the long-run, if not for business reasons then definitely for soul reasons.
so true - scammers are on every platform
This is a great article and it’s frustrating as it feels like it’s this big club of writers who have already established audiences where everyone is patting themselves on the back about landing so many subscribers and I’m happy for them, but no one can (or want to) tell me how they landed all of those subscribers. It’s not Coca Cola’s recipe I’m asking for (though that would be cool!)
Many of Substack's biggest authors had large followings before they joined Substack. There was even a bit of a controversy a few years ago where Substack actually paid well-known writers to join the platform. What looks like overnight success on Substack is often the result of years of putting yourself out there both on and off the platform (and as always, luck, money, privilege and connections all help, and some folks just have a lot more access to those things).
Yup, I believe it! Thankfully i'm not getting discouraged because I know what i'm walking into, and trying to stay positive, and know this won't happen overnight but you can't help but always feel like you're doing something wrong or not enough. Good to see someone pointing this out!
I don't have the connections and I'm terrible at "putting myself out there", so I'm solely relying on the sheer quality of my content to attract people. Unfortunately quality is not most people's biggest concern - they care more about popularity - but it is for some of us!
Yeah me too. All of this self promoting is definitely stepping out of my comfort zone!
Nice.
The 'CAPS LOCK to content' ratio is my key metric for this marketing practice.
Think this guy mistook your warning signs for a playbook: https://open.substack.com/pub/mindofawriter/p/how-to-grow-your-substack-newsletter
Ha! Your ratio just about sums it up.